Person I Am Not Dating
by Clesta
Summary: Both left frustrated by the kiss the night Lulu confirmed they were not dating, Dante and Lulu have conflicting ideas on how to proceed with this...relationship. Rated M for language, possibly more if the two love birds can figure out how to connect .
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I'm not traditionally a fiction writer, but I thought I'd take a stab at it. Make any comments you'd like. I don't mind criticism.

I don't own GH or any of these characters, so please don't sue me.

**Prologue: Sweet Dreams**

_A strong arm wrapped around her waist, catching her off guard._

_The usual banter they played off each other had already caused a familiar tightening in her stomach as she had sat on the edge of her chair talking to him. She was definitely attracted to him, but she had just told him they would not ever date. Being alone together in her apartment, she knew, could be a dangerously arousing situation if she didn't shoot him and his gigantic ego down again, and quick. _

_Standing as he had walked away to leave, she was losing her resolve to not fall in love with this man, especially when, now, he was so close she could smell a hint of cologne and his natural masculine musk. She didn't have time to catch her breath when his lips came crashing down on hers. She melted into his body, pulled by his hand on the small of her back. _

_His tongue softly licked her upper lip, and against her will, she opened her mouth to welcome it. Their tongues greeted each other like familiar lovers, expertly expressing words that had not yet been voiced. She needed to feel him closer. She raised her hand to place it on his waist, but restrained herself. _

_And just as quickly as he had approached her, he was gone. She opened her eyes to see his retreat._

"_Okay, hey, well, goodnight, person I am not dating." Backing away from her, he stumbled towards the door, obviously affected by the passion in the kiss they had just shared. "Sweet dreams."_

_And he was gone. As she touched her lips and smiled, she knew she wouldn't be able to resist his charm much longer and he knew it. She was bluffing, and he saw right through her best attempts to hide it._

Was that knocking at the door? No. Pounding.

"Lulu!"

More pounding. What was this?

"Lulu! Come on, we're going to be late! Kate will kill us!"

Lulu pulled the pillow over her head and let out a groan that turned into more of a growl. The same dream, again. It was as if he cursed her when he wished her sweet dreams. But, oh, how sweet they were!

"Coming Maxie! Just go on in without me. I'll be there shortly."

"Okay, Lulu, but you'd better not forget to bring Kate her latte. And you know what? Bring me one, too. I deserve a reward for covering your ass for being late, _again_."

"Okay, Maxie. Just go!"

Lulu had been late to work several times this week. All because she woke up each morning to dreams replaying the evening she had last seen Detective Dante Falconeri.

"I have _got_ to get that man out of my head! He's ruining my concentration and soon I won't even be able to keep this job!" she chided herself. She crawled out of her bed and dragged herself over to her closet. "I know what I need" she told the empty room, but mostly herself. _Just sleep with him, _she thought._ Get it out of your system, Lulu. Then he can have what he is after, you get off and can get your mind _off_ of _him_. There's no way this is going to be anything serious, and he'll be leaving town soon, so you might as well enjoy him while he's here._

"What am I thinking? I can't just sleep with him to 'get it out of my system'! Sex is about love, respect, openness…honesty."

_But you don't believe in love, right Lulu? It's all going to end sometime, right? So why not just get it over with? The longer you wait, the more you'll like him and the more you'll hurt when he leaves. Just fuckin' sleep with him, and let it go._

"Now I'm starting to sound like Maxie. Oh, this is so not good."

She stood there in front of her closet for another minute, considering her options.

"What the hell. What do I have to lose? Besides my sanity. Since when do I talk to myself?"

_Since __**he**__ came to Port Charles. You know that, Lulu._

Letting out a deep breath and shrugging her shoulders, she decided to do this right. She pulled her new dress out of the closet; a midnight blue A-line dress going down to her knees with a thick belt around the waist, accentuating her curves. The V-neck was just low enough to catch a hint of cleavage, but not enough to be trashy. She walked over to her dresser to find her "you should feel lucky to be with me" panties and bra set. _Oh, yeah,_ she thought to herself as she busied herself getting ready for work, _the officer won't even know what hit him_.

Shutting his eyes tightly against the morning sun glaring through his east-facing window, Detective Dante Falconeri willed the image of a certain young lady out of his head. It had been a week since he had put himself out there and he hadn't heard a word from Lulu. His mind ran over the brief conversation he had with Lucky the night before at Jake's.

_They had been secretly working on the Franco case together for the past week, but finding it hard to coordinate meeting times. It wasn't mere coincidence Dante had chosen to come to Jake's tonight for a drink before heading back to his room above Kelly's. Lucky walked up to the bar from his table and stood next to the undercover cop. They were careful not look at each other so as not to appear like they were about to have the deep conversation that they were._

_Dante sat at the bar, facing straight forward, holding his bottle of beer in both hands, looking downward at the label. Lucky stood a foot away from him with his empty glass of ice sitting on the bar, waiting for someone to come over to give him a refill on his Coke._

"_Listen," Lucky said, quietly. "I got a lead from New York."_

"_Yeah, I've got some news from the other side, too," Dante responded, glancing over quickly, then went back to staring hard at his bottle. He had respect for this man and didn't want to bring him in so far as to tip Sonny off that he and Lucky were working together._

"_We can't talk here. Get Lulu to ask you over tomorrow night. We'll go over what we have."_

_Taking another chance, Dante shot Lucky another brief look. He shook his head once, letting out a deep breath. "I don't know, man." Looking back at his bottle, then up to the ceiling behind the bar, he continued. "I haven't heard from your sister at all this week. I really don't think she'd be too happy that I call her up and invite myself over. I'm tryin' to give her a little space right now, and the last thing she'll want is for us to use her for a place to meet again."_

"_Why haven't you heard…" Lucky's voice gets lower as the bartender, who, fortunately, is not Coleman, but someone Lucky does not recognize comes over. "Can I get a refill on my Coke, please?" he asks, addressing the young lady._

"_You bet. Is there anything else?" she asks as she takes the glass from the bar. She didn't walk away, yet, and Dante was getting annoyed._

"_No, that's it. Thank you." Lucky quickly replied. As the girl walked away with Lucky's glass to the soda dispenser, Dante grabbed his moment._

"_Look, we had a chat about the whole "us dating" thing, and she basically informed me she wasn't interested. I decided to back off a little. Concentrate on why I'm here."_

_Lucky looked over at the bartender, who had paused to refill another customer's drink before returning his full glass. "Hey, man," he responded, leaning over the bar, hands clasped in front of him. "Lulu…she's been through a lot. She's doesn't just jump into things. She's done that before and has gotten seriously hurt. If you seriously care about my sister, you won't take this personally. Give her some time. She'll come around."_

_Just then, the bartender returned Lucky's glass. He picked it up , gave one last look to Dante, who was still grasping at his beer, and walked back to the table he was sharing with Elizabeth and her brother._

Still lying in his bed, Dante released what was something between a groan and a moan. If it was time she needed, he would gladly give it to her. Though it may kill him to be so sexually frustrated, waiting for this girl was well worth it. She was special, not like the other girls he had dated back in Bensonhurst.

Lulu was _it_ for him. And until she realized how great they could be together, he resolved to being the best damn non-dating boy friend she ever had.

But right now, he had to focus his attention on this case so he could figure out what was going on with this Franco guy, not to mention, find a way to take Sonny down with the least possible damage to the people of Port Charles that loved the fuckin' guy.

"Alright, Dante. Pull yourself together. You've got a lot to do today," Dante told himself as he pulled himself out of bed with a groan.

As he stretched his muscles from the poor night's sleep, he noticed a slip of paper that must have been pushed under his door. He walked over, picked it up and read the contents.

"Dinner. Tonight. My place. 7. Lulu."

Dante chuckled to himself. _Well, this time thing must really be working. After a week of not contacting her, she invites me to dinner at her place. Come on Dante, don't get your hopes up. Remember the last time she invited you over it was to play Rock Band. Sure there was a kiss involved, but the girl can't make up her mind if she really wants you. Stick to the plan. Be her non-dating boy friend. Don't go screwing it up by pushing her way again. _

Dante, holding the note in his right hand, tapped it to his left palm, considering his options.

Walking over to his cell phone, he texted Lucky. "L's place. Tonight. 9 pm."

That should give them plenty of time to have dinner, but not enough time for anything to get too serious before Lucky shows up to "talk cop."

_Lulu Spencer. I will have you all to myself, someday, but just not tonight…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: The Non-Date**

By lunch time, Lulu was so busy at work, she barely had any time to think about her dinner plans with Dante that evening. Kate was on the rampage since Maxie failed to enlist Franco's photography services for the spring issue, and Maxie was going out of her mind, berating herself for offering Franco _her _services the night of the gallery opening. Lulu was stuck in the middle, trying her best to smooth things over in the office.

With all this stress, a night with Dante was exactly what she needed. Maybe trying to seduce him was a bad idea. After a day like today, Lulu was just ready to enjoy his company. She had doubts about her plans to "jump his bones," as Dante would put it.

But the sexy dress, as well as what lay underneath, did its job and boosted her confidence. She stood a little straighter as the elevator doors opened to the first floor lobby of the Metro Court. She didn't have much time, so she went straight to the front desk to ask for Olivia.

It was probably exactly the wrong thing to do; going to the man she planned to sleep with's mother to get tips on what to make for dinner, but Lulu needed a little help, and Maxie was no good to her now. She already insured that her roommate would be spending the evening with her non-husband, Spinelli. _When did I get so devious? _Lulu contemplated. But there was not time to over-think this now. Olivia had just walked through an office door into the lobby.

"Olivia! Hey!" she called out to the woman as she placed a sweet smile on her face. _Oh my god. I am acting like Maxie. What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Hey, Lulu. How are you honey? My, that dress is gorgeous. And where did you get those shoes? What am I thinking? Of course you have the latest fashion. My cousin, Connie wouldn't have it any other way, would she? Did you need something dear?"

"Well, um, actually, I was hoping you'd help me with something—If you have time, of course." Lulu was getting nervous. What was she thinking bringing his mother into this? She might expect something to come from it. What if she starts asking questions about her and Dante's relationship. _Get a hold of yourself, Lulu. There is no relationship between you and Dante! You're just asking his mother for advice on what to cook your friend for dinner—before you seduce him. Oh my god, what am I thinking?_

"Well, sure. What can I do for you?"

"Um, well. Can we go some place more private? Would that be alright?" Lulu realized if she wanted to keep Dante alive, she probably shouldn't be having this conversation with his mother out in the middle of the Metro Court lobby.

"Of course, step into this office over here with me." Olivia knew now that this could have nothing to do with her cousin, Connie's Crimson office upstairs. This had to do with her son, who she happened to assume cared very much for the young lady following her into the hotel office. As she closed the door behind Lulu and turned to face her, her face became very serious.

"My son isn't in trouble, is he? "

"No, no, Olivia. It's nothing like that."

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. My nerves are on end with him being in town working for Sonny. The sooner this is all over the better off I'll be. So will you, I'm sure. When he told me you knew he was undercover, you'd better believe I chewed his ass for you getting you messed up with this crap. I'm so sorry you're involved Lulu. I know you and Sonny go way back."

"Well, he didn't mean to get me involved, it just kind of happened. I knew something was up and I wouldn't let it go. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. But, that's not why I came to see you."

"Of course. What can I help you with? I assume it _is_ about my crazy-ass son, since you asked to speak in private. Are you two still seeing each other?"

_Oh, no,_ Lulu thought, _here come the questions_.

"Well, not really seeing each other. We're friends. That's all. And, as friends, I'd like to cook him dinner tonight and was hoping you could help me with a recipe or something. You know, something to remind him of home and get his mind off the case for a while. But, it's got to be something easy. I don't know if I can handle too much authentic Italian cooking. I'm not too spectacular in the kitchen."

Olivia placed her hand up to her mouth to hide a little smirk she felt growing there. _Friends, my ass. This girl is crazy about my son. You'd have to be to go to these lengths for a simple dinner._ _It'll work, too. If there's one thing my Dante can't turn down is a good Italian cooked meal…and a girl dressed to kill._

Taking her hand away from her mouth, Olivia replied genuinely, "Of course I can help you, Lulu." Moving over to the desk, taking out a pen and scratching a few ingredients down on the Metro Court memo pad, she continued. "This is a family recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce. It's not too fancy. As long as you can cook the noodles and chop the vegetables, you'll be fine. Pick up a loaf of garlic bread, maybe some salad, and you'll have a wonderful meal my son won't be able to resist."

She tore off the paper and walked back to Lulu, with the recipe stretched out in her hand. "Now, Lulu. You realize we Falconeri's don't just give out family recipes to just anybody…I wouldn't want to find this posted on the internet or something."

Lulu smiled, once again feeling slightly embarrassed she had just asked his mother for a family recipe. "I assure you, I would never do that." Turning to go, she paused, realizing she missed something. Turning around she began, "Uh, what about—"

"Red wine. Merlot, no, Bordeaux. It will pair nicely with the mushrooms in the sauce. And pick up a little chocolate for dessert," Olivia said, smiling at Lulu's gaping mouth.

_How did she do that? _Lulu questioned, blinking slowly. _This woman is _good. Catching herself frozen in such a position, Lulu closed her mouth, swallowed the saliva that had gathered there after it hanging open for so long and straightened her posture.

"Thanks, Olivia" she said, gratitude in her eyes. "I don't know how I could do this without you."

"No, problem, sweetie. Now, have fun tonight." Olivia winked at the beautiful woman l standing in front of her. "And if Dante asks, I'll never admit you were here. Let him think you thought this all up on your own."

_Did she just wink at me? Does she know what I'm up to? _"Oh, uh, Olivia. It's not that kind of fun…I mean, we, uh... There's nothing going on with your… I mean. Just friends. Uh. I've got to get back to work." Lulu nearly stumbled into the closed door of the office, but managed a quick "Thanks, again," before rushing towards the elevator.

Olivia again, raised her hand to hide her smirk and chuckled slightly to herself. _Well, at least Lulu has it figured out that any good Italian man can't turn down Italian food made by a pretty girl. Dante is a goner. I suspect next Christmas we'll be adding another place setting to the dinner table for that girl…_

_

* * *

  
_

Lulu was cutting it close. It was already 6:45 and she was still chopping the parsley to add to the already boiling sauce. She had to admit, it did smell fabulous in the tiny apartment kitchen. Adding the parsley and a little bit of crushed pepper to the pan, she spooned up a bit to taste. "Perfecto!" she proclaimed in her best Italian accent.

Setting down the spoon and looking across the counter into the other dining room, she took inventory of anything she could be missing. Salad, check. Place settings, check. Napkins, check. Wine and wine glasses, check and check. Candles, check. Removing the apron she had put on to protect her dress, she hung it up on the hook beside the refrigerator, stirred the sauce one more time, checked the noodles, opened the oven to see that the garlic bread was browning properly, spread the chocolate pieces on a tray on the counter, and exited the kitchen with the lighter. After bringing the candles to life, she checked the clock. Just enough time to check her hair and make-up.

_This is a lot of trouble to go to just to get laid, Lulu,_ she told herself.

_Oh, suck it up. A month, tops, and he's gone, out of your life, and you will have made the most of it, _her inner voice argued back.

Stepping into her black pumps in the place where she had kicked them off to cook, she walked towards the bathroom in the hall to reapply her lipstick and smooth down they fly-aways in her hair.

_Who knows? Maybe he's worth all this trouble and will stick around a while? _She looked herself seriously in the mirror for a good couple of seconds and scowled up her face.

_Are you insane? You stupid, girl. He's here for a job. You're just another conquest to him. He even admitted it while you were sitting in the water of the Zacchara basement. He's having fun chasing you._

Putting on her lipstick, her internal dialogue continued. _So, once he catches you, it won't be so much fun anymore, and he'll go away as quick as he came. Promotion and medals of honor, and all. Back to all the Bensonhurst hos who can't wait to get their thighs wrapped around his hot ass._

She smiled at herself in the mirror and ran together her lips to smooth out the freshly applied lipstick. As she reached for the hairspray to give her curls one last pass to hold them in place for the evening, she agreed with herself. _That is one thing both sides of this argument can agree on. He does have a hot ass._

Just then, she heard a knock at the front door of apartment 68. _And that hot ass has perfect timing_, she thought as she put her most seductive look on her face and blew herself a kiss. _And that boy does not have a chance when you're looking this good, Lulu Spencer._

Armed with her confidence and a smirk on her lips, she sauntered over to the door, stopping only to turn on the sexy jazz music she knew Maxie used when she and Spinelli were here alone. As she reached the door, she opened it wide and placed her left hand on her hip and her right hand high on the door itself. Shifting her weight to her right foot, she greeted her guest. "Good evening," then in almost a whisper, she added, "Officer."

Dante had his right arm raised as if he was about to knock again, but stayed frozen in his place from the sight and sounds before him. She was like a goddess with her pale skin, dark dress, and blonde curls, with heavenly sounds coming from behind her. Right out of a film noir. He gradually lowered his arm, but something about the tightness in his pants told him a certain organ was not about to do likewise. _This woman is trying to kill me, _he decided. _Come on, man. You're the best undercover cop in New York City. Play it cool. Don't let her see how much you affected by that amazing body. And that sexy voice! God, he would love to hear that voice coming from that face as he laid her down in a bed to…not now, Dante,_ he pleaded with himself.

Laughing softly, Lulu joked, "Not speechless, are we? My, my, my…Are you going to come in, or are you going to stand there gawking all night?" She slowly lowered her hand to the door knob while shifting her weight back to both feet. She leaned forward slightly, causing Dante's eyes to go towards her chest. "I've got something special cooked up for you, and if you don't come in soon, I'm sure we'll burn this place down."

She straightened her back, perhaps arching it slightly to ensure that his gaze stayed on her chest, and turned to walk towards the kitchen to finish the preparations. Before entering the other room, she turned her head, slyly, so her curls framed her face, to check to see that he had actually walked in the door.

Closing the door behind him, Dante took a deep breath. _Damn. This isn't going to be as easy as I thought. Stay cool. You got this._ He exhaled and turned to see the dining room table set with two places, wine and candles. Delicious smells were escaping the kitchen.

"Uh, do you need any help in there, Lulu?"

"No, I'm fine. But would you pour some wine for us?" she called out to him.

"Yeah, uh, sure." _Man, this looks like a date to me. I mean, she cooked, there's candles, mood music. Could she want to date me? _"So, uh, Lulu," he called out, as he began opening the wine bottle.

"Yes…Officer?" There is was again. That nickname. God, he loved that nickname, and the way she said it, but it also reminded him of another reason he needed to stay distant for a while longer.

"So, I thought you said we weren't dating?" he called out, then held his breath for her response as he pulled the cork out of the wine bottle and began pouring the drinks.

In the kitchen, Lulu paused her efforts of placing the sauce on top of the spaghetti noodles. _Crap, I hadn't thought of this. Why didn't I think of this? Just play it cool._

"We're not. Since when does a meal mean we have to be dating?" She finished pouring the sauce onto the platter, placed serving utensils on the sides of the dish, picked it up, along with the platter with the garlic bread in the other hand and walked towards the dining room. "Can't we just have a little fun tonight without all this 'what are we' talk?" she said, giving him her sexiest smile she could muster. She was not about to let him ruin her fun tonight by mucking it up with talk of the future. A future they would never have.

Putting on the most nonchalant face he could, he smiled, raised his glass and answered her question. "Of course, yeah. I was just checking. You know. Make sure we were still on the same page." Taking a sip of his wine, he realized how very glad he was Lucky was going to show up later tonight. If she kept this sultry thing up, he was going to end up doing something he knew he would regret. Why was she going to all this effort if she didn't want to have a relationship with him? Unless, of course, she was just trying to get him into bed. That was the last thing he wanted from Lulu if it didn't mean he could keep her there with him forever.

"This looks, great, Lulu. Shall we dine, my lovely, non-date _friend_?" he asked, pulling out a chair for her as she set down the platters of food.

There was something in the way he said _friend_ that Lulu wasn't sure she liked. She didn't just want to be friends with him, but then again, she didn't want to date him. _What the hell am I doing? _she thought again, for the umpteenth time that day.

"But of course, _friend_," she responded. Batting her eyelashes a little as she settled down in the chair. As he slid her chair closer to the table, she turned her face towards his and whispered, "I hope you're _up_ for this." Leaving her lips close to his speechless mouth for a few more seconds, she then turned back towards the table and reached for a napkin. Again in her normal Lulu voice, she stated, "I made it especially for you, so you'd better lie and tell me how great it is."

Still stunned by her very presence, Dante paused before sitting in his own chair to shake off the feeling of desire he felt for her.

"Yeah, it, uh, looks great. And smells just like my mom's." He reached for the platters and began filling his plate. "Where'd you learn to make this? I'm assuming it's not from a jar."

"A lady never reveals her secrets," Lulu smugly stated.

"Is that so? Well, in that case I won't tell you I saw you talking to my mom at the Metro Court today."

"You were there!?" Lulu nearly choked on her wine.

"Yeah, well, I went to go drop off some papers for Sonny and I saw you coming out of the office my mom works in. You weren't talking about me, were you?" Dante grinned. He knew they were, since his mom wouldn't say a word about what Lulu was doing in her office.

"No, of course not. Why would I talk to your mother about you? I mean, we hardly know each other and…" She was interrupted by Dante's laughter.

"Sure, okay. You were there on official business." He was glad he had her back. His Lulu. Not that he didn't enjoy the sexy show she had been putting on, but he knew there must be some ulterior motive behind it. As much as she tried to deny it, he knew her, the real her. The headstrong, independent woman that over the past few month he had come to love. He smiled. He loved this girl, and one day she would realize how much she loved him back. But until then, he wasn't going to push her. Lucky's words came back to him again "_Just give her time…"_

He came out of his thoughts when tasted the dinner she had made. "Man, Lulu, this is really good. Maybe better than my mom's."

Lulu laughed. "Sure. Whatever. But flattery will get you everywhere. Keep it comin'."

They enjoyed the dinner; chatting, laughing, and joking the entire time. At one point, it occurred to Lulu that there was a simple joy in coming home after a long day of work and cooking a simple meal to share with someone she cared about. Was she really thinking how she could get used to this? _Could I have a future with this man?_

After cleaning up the table and taking the dishes to the kitchen, Dante caught sight of the apron hung up by the refrigerator. Realizing Lulu, who was running the water in the kitchen sink, probably didn't want to ruin her dress, should wear it, he picked it off the hook and walked towards her.

Lulu didn't hear him getting closer and the sudden movement of his arms coming around her face startled her and she jumped back a little so her back was touching his muscular chest.

"Hey, easy there. I didn't mean to startle you," he whispered huskily in her ear. Just as she thought her knees were about to give way, he stepped back and slipped the apron around her neck. Careful not to make the moment too _unfriendly_, Dante reached to her sides for the drawstrings and pulled them loosely to the small of her back, where he tied a bow. He lifted her hair from under the neck strap, trying not to touch her neck in any way.

"I, uh, thought you might want to be careful with that dress, _friend_," he stated lightheartedly, giving her hair a light tousle as he walked away.

"Hey!" she cried as she ducked, too late, from the mussing up of her hair. _Did he just tousle my hair like I was a little kid? What do I look like to him, Morgan? Maybe he is taking this friend thing a little too far. _She decided against trying to fix it now, since her hands were already wet from the dishwater. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to mess with a girl's hair?"

"Hey, what? I think it looks great like that." _A little too great like that,_ he added silently while picking up a dishtowel. "So, you wash, I'll dry? Then I'll know where all your dishes go and I can return the favor and make dinner for you sometime."

"Oh, you think I'm going to let you cook in my kitchen and mess everything up? You probably can't even cook," she laughed.

"Hey, I'm Italian, aren't I? I can cook. After all, I am my mother's son."

"Yeah, well, I'm impressed I didn't poison us tonight. After all, I am my mother's daughter." They laughed together as Lulu handed him a clean plate to dry.

"I remember you telling me that story of you and your mom baking cookies. I have to say, when I came over here, I sort of expected take out."

"Ah, ye of little faith. I'm hurt." Lulu gave him a fake pout and more of those batting eyelashes. Dante had half a mind to drop the platter he was currently drying to suck on her full, beautiful, bottom lip, but instead, looking away, he changed the subject.

"Speaking of your family, Lucky and I have been working on that case this week."

"Yeah! Graffiti guy? How's that going?" She looked at him expectantly, her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Well, I know this is going to upset you, but I can't really talk about the case. I just wanted to—"

"You just wanted to taunt me with it. Yeah, yeah. You and Lucky get to work on all the exciting stuff while I'm stuck in the fashion office from hell." She handed him the last pan to dry and went over to the hook to take off the apron.

"No, that's not it at all. I just wanted to let you know that Lucky and I have been working together. I like your brother. He's smart. He's a good cop. You should be proud of him."

"I am proud of Lucky. I wish my dad felt the same way." She reached on top of the refrigerator for the other bottle of wine she had purchases earlier that evening, along with all the other groceries.

"That's right. Luke doesn't like cops, huh? Are we going to have another bottle? Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked with his trademark grin.

"I was raised not to trust cops, remember? And yes, I thought we'd have some more wine with a little dessert chocolate." She moved back towards the dining room with the bottle of wine and the tray of chocolates.

Dante, and his amazing detective senses, deduced two things from Lulu's last statements. One, perhaps what was holding her back from really dating him, not this "fake dating" or whatever it was they were doing, was that he was a cop. She didn't trust him because she didn't trust cops. _She probably doesn't believe me when I say I'm serious about us not ending just because the case does._ And two, he realized there was no way on earth she wasn't talking to his mother about tonight. Dessert chocolate. Seriously an Olivia Falconeri move. _This is mom's way of saying she approves. Sly, mom, really sly._

Leaving the kitchen to join the most amazing woman he had ever laid eyes on, Dante was in for one more surprise. The jazzy, upbeat music that had been playing before had been switched for some more mellow sounds. The lights had been dimmed, and Lulu was already on the couch. _Damn it, Lucky had better get over here quick, before I do something with his sister he does not want to know about._

"Are you coming? Officer?" she asked softly.

"Uh, yeah. How'd it get so dark in here?" he asked, finding the light switch and flipping it on. He looked up to find Lulu curling her finger to "come hither" while sitting seductively on the couch.

He had turned on the lights, but that was not going to derail Lulu's plans. She didn't need the romance. She just needed to "get it out of her system" so they could go their separate ways sooner rather than later. If anything, this evening had given her a few doubts as to whether Dante was really going to leave after the case was closed, but overall, she wasn't convinced.

Walking towards her and the couch Dante reaffirmed to himself that no matter what happened he was _not _going to sleep with Lulu tonight. As nice as the evening had been, and as attracted to him as Lulu was acting, he knew it wasn't the right time. She didn't really trust him to stay. He didn't want this to be about "fucking and forgetting." No, he wanted everything to be right. He wanted it to be about love.

So, he plopped down on the sofa and asked "You got any cards around here? How about a nice, friendly game of poker?"

"Mmm, that sounds interesting. Maybe we could make it strip" she said, crawling towards him, accentuating the "p" on strip, "poker?"

Her face was so close to his he could feel the heat of her body. He could smell the scent of her hair. It was still tousled from earlier when he had ruffled it up. Try as he might, she had a power over him that was undeniable. Closing his eyes, he leaned in slightly, touching their lips together lightly, his mouth covering her top lip.

They stayed this way for a few seconds, he just enjoying the feel of her softness on his mouth, trying to remember all the reasons why he should not be doing this; while she was waiting for him to begin deepening the kiss.

Opening her eyes to look up at him as she realized he was hesitating, she decided to take control. She began by massaging his lower lip with her mouth slowly. Sucking on his bottom lip gently, then running her tongue along it. She broke kiss momentarily as she lifted herself off the couch into his lap, her legs stretched on each side of his thighs. She heard him exhale deeply as she took his face in her hands and brought her mouth to his again, this time to his top lip. Offering him small, light, sensual kisses, while wondering why, now, he was holding back?

He raised his hands, which had been lying on the couch, limp, to touch her, but hesitated. Turning his face away from her lips he exhaled again.

"Lulu, maybe we shouldn't—"

"Shh," she whispered in his ear before she gave his earlobe a tug with her teeth, while settling her inner thighs on his groin. This elicited a hiss from Dante, as the combination of her mouth, now working its way down his neck and the shifting of her weight caused him to grow hard.

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the more primal urges she was causing for him, yet allowing his hands to settle on her outer thighs. Her hips began to grind as she turned his face towards hers once again. He opened his eyes to see her smoldering eyes on his lips before she took them again in hers. This time, he opened his mouth to allow their tongues to join in their sensual dance. Her hands were in his hair and he raised his own hand to her back to press her even closer towards him. He could feel her breasts pressed up against his chest, then she lifted herself up so they were closer to his face. He broke their kiss so he could get a better look at her. She lowered herself again, pressing their bodies together exactly where he felt the heat rising and his blood rushing. He took her neck in his right hand, angled his face towards the left and began to suck on her neck, as she had been doing to him just moments before.

Her hips began to move more frantically, making circles, pressing herself into his hardness. She let out a moan.

It was the sexiest thing he had heard from her yet and he knew that if he didn't stop this soon, he would regret it.

He moved his hand that had been massaging her neck and in her hair to her shoulder and his left hand that had been on her thigh to her hip and simultaneously used them to push her away.

Taking a deep breath, head down, not looking at her so as not to lose his resolve again, he spoke.

"Lulu, can we slow this down, please?" He wanted to be careful not to offend her. He remembered the last time the he had to stop her from coming on to him before, when she was drugged. He didn't want a repeat of that situation.

Lulu, now sitting back so her butt was on his knees, but her thighs were still on either side of his legs, looked at him, confused.

"Isn't this what you wanted? Don't you just want to sleep with me? That's all any guy ever really wants and here I am giving myself to you and you're going to sit here and turn me down? What the hell?" Shocked by his reaction to her attempt at seduction, she didn't move from her spot.

He looked up into her hurt face. "Lulu, please don't be upset. I'm not really turning you down. I just—I don't want to rush into this. I want to know you trust me. I want to know that you want this because you care about me, because, well, I care about you, Lulu. I want it to mean something when we do have sex."

She stared at him a moment longer, trying to see if he really could be telling the truth.

He dropped his hands from her hip and neck, took her hands in his, and gave them a tight squeeze, trying to reassure her.

Just when he thought she was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. She turned her gaze towards it, looking confused.

"Uh, that's probably Lucky. I asked him to meet me here tonight after you left the note about dinner." He paused; she was still looking shocked. Well, at least she wasn't yelling at him. She turned her face back to him. He had thought too soon.

"You, what?" She pushed his chest as she jumped off his lap. "I can't believe this." She flung the door open. "Lucky, what a pleasant surprise. Won't you come in?" she said sardonically as she swept her hand towards the living room.

After taking one look at his sister's hair and Dante's relaxed position on the couch, Lucky asked "Did I, uh, interrupt—"

"No, Lucky, you didn't. Nothing at all is going on here," she spat venomously towards Dante. "I suppose I'll just be on my way. It will be delightful to take a nice, cold walk on this lovely winter eve." Lulu went towards the coat rack, grabbed her winter jacket in one hand, wallet and keys in the other and swung the coat, nearly hitting her stunned brother, as she rushed towards the door.

Dante hurried after her, following her into the hallway. He grabbed her arm and she spun around, anger and frustration in her eyes.

"Hey. Lu. Look. Don't be mad at me. I meant what I said." He raised his hand to cup her face, his eyes full of sincerity. "I care about you." He stepped towards her and kissed her forehead. "I'll be here when you get back. Don't be too long. We can talk then."

She snatched her arm out of his grasp, huffed, and rushed towards the stairs.

"What was that all about?" Lucky asked as Dante stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

"That, my friend, was the end of a non-date." Dante added after getting a confused look from Lucky, "Don't ask, man. If she realizes what I think she will on that walk of hers, I think it will be our last non-date."

"Listen, Dominic—Dante, whoever you are, if you're planning on hurting my sister…"

"No, it's not like that. I'm just saying that I think our non-dating will become dating sooner than I had hoped." Dante smiled. "Okay, let's get to work. What did you find out from the NYPD?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **As always, I don't own GH or it's characters, nor the line I am stealing from Maxie-Spinelli non-wedding episode. I'm just borrowing it for a while.

Comments are always welcome.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Walk**

Lulu had long since worn off the immediate anger she had felt when she had stormed out of her apartment to give the cops their "alone time." Now, she was just feeling confused.

She looked up at the sky. It was a clear night, and she was far enough away from downtown she could see the North Star. _Well, dad, you always told me that if I was lost I should find the North Star. Here I am. Lost, confused, not knowing what to do. _

She replayed the words Dante had spoken, not an hour before.

"_I'm not really turning you down. I just—I don't want to rush into this. I want to know you trust me, that you want this because you care about me, because, well, I care about you, Lulu. I want this to mean something when we do have sex."_

Could he really mean it? After all that she had been through with men, after all the relationships she had seen come crashing down, she really didn't believe in love.

What was it that he said to her, the night of Maxie and Spinelli's non-wedding?

"_I can't speak from experience, having never been in love myself, but I have it on good authority that love lasts until you're old and gray, and it shows up when you least expect it."_

Could this be her moment? Could this be her love of a lifetime?

She wasn't sure she was ready to make that leap, but she was certainly not interested in Dante treating her like a little sister, as he had when he tousled her hair in the kitchen, or kissed her forehead as she was storming away. She didn't want to be his _friend_, but she really wasn't sure she was ready to grow old and gray with him.

Besides, he still had Sonny's case to finish up. She still wasn't convinced he would stick around Port Charles after the bust went down. Who knows if he even _could _stay? It would probably be dangerous for him to be out in the open for a while. Mob bosses had eyes and ears everywhere. If Sonny really wanted revenge on Dante, he could have it whether or not Sonny was in prison.

There were just too many risks involved in being with Dante. However, could she imagine her life right now without him in it? He brought so much into her life. Without him, she would be, well, alone. Not that she wasn't used to that. She had been alone before. She was independent enough she could handle it. But did she want to?

Without realizing where she was walking, she looked up and saw her apartment building across the street. She was back, but was she ready to face him again after she had thrown herself at him, practically telling him just to fuck her and get it over with?

Not to mention, as much as he thought he knew her, he still didn't know the most disturbing parts about her life. That she had been pregnant and aborted the baby; she had killed a man; she had done stint in Shadybrook. That was her past, and she had dealt with it and moved on, but if this man thought he wanted to date her, he should have the right to know about it.

She had been standing there for at least five minutes, still trying to work up the courage to walk up those stairs and be honest with Dante. If he really cared about her, he'd be okay with everything she'd done, right?

She just needed a little more time to stand out here. She'd go in. When she was ready.

* * *

Dante stood at the window looking down at Lulu, standing under the streetlight with her hands in her coat pockets; head down.

"She's been standing out there for quite a while. Do you think she's waiting for me to leave?" Dante asked the wise, older brother.

"Nah, she'll come in when she's ready. Just give her time," Luke said as he crossed the room to look at his little sister as well.

"She doesn't really trust men, huh? Why is that?" Dante asked.

"Well, as to why, you'll have to ask her. But, Lulu, she feels things deeply. She doesn't take love lightly. When she loves someone, she loves fiercely. Like her brothers. Well, I've been through my fair share of stupidity, but Lulu looks past all that. Nicholas, well, he's a mess, but she doesn't care. She just sees her brother. She was the first one to really let Ethan into the family and already I can see how loyal she is to him. Even dad. Luke. He's…well, he's a wild card. Here today, gone tomorrow. But, she doesn't see that as abandonment, she see it as his adventurous side. You'll see. If she falls in love with you, man, I sure hope you're ready for that. She'll always love you. No matter what."

Dante considered this for a moment, still looking down at the woman standing on the street. "Well, I guess if we're going to get through this mess with Sonny, it's going to take a whole lot of love, because it's going to get ugly." He pauses to consider some more. "I suppose she knows that. She sees what it will do to the people she cares about. Carly, the boys, even your dad."

He turns away from the window. "Man, I am really not looking forward to the mess this is going to end up in. But, I will tell you this, no matter what I lose in the process, if your sister is by my side in the end, it'll all be worth it. I've never known anyone like her, and the more I get to know her, the crazier I am about her."

"Well, I hope that doesn't change, because if you hurt her…"

"I know, I know," holding his hands up in mock surrender. "You'll beat my ass. I've already felt your fists once, I don't need a reminder." They both chuckle a little at their first encounter.

"Yeah, well, see that you don't." Lucky picks up his coat to leave. Before walking through the door, he turns to look at the man who was obviously in love with his sister. "Look, don't worry. She'll come up and talk. When she's ready."

As Lucky closed the door behind him, Dante went back to the window to see if she was still there. When he sees she is, he lets out a long breath as he run is fingers through his thick, dark hair, and he turns away to give her all the time she needs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Don't own it. Never will. GH, that is. Or their characters. I just like to toy with their lives a little bit.

As always, comments welcome. Thanks to those of you who have already shown me the love.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Talk**

Dante knew better than to turn off the lights and wait in the shadows this time. He sat patiently on the couch, seriously thinking about downing that whole bottle of wine still in front of him. Yet, he knew he needed a clear head in order to talk to Lulu when she came up.

He didn't have to wait too long after Lucky left to hear noises in the hall, and keys jingling outside the door. He stood, so she would see him right away and not be startled.

She opened the door, glanced at him, turned to close the door, hang up her jacket, and put her purse and keys away. She walked straight over to the coffee table, downed the full glass of wine sitting there and set the glass back down.

"Whoa there, take it easy on the wine. It can't be that bad, can—" His grin faded when she interrupted him.

"Shut up." She said, looking at him for the first time since she had walked in the door. "Just, shut up for once in your life."

Dante's eyebrows raised a little as he studied her face. She didn't look angry, she looked—resolved. He had never seen this side of her before. She was a woman on a mission and to hell if he thought he was going to interrupt her. He motioned, not spoke, for her to continue. He wanted to hear her out.

Lulu took a deep breath and plunged in. "You're right. I don't trust you. I want to trust you, but I don't—yet." She started pacing in front of the coffee table and Dante stood firm, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's not that I don't think you're a good guy. You are. I know you are. You have morals, and you treat women with respect; you respect the law, for fuck's sake you're a cop." She paused there, thinking about looking at him to gauge his reaction, but knew that would mean she would lose her nerve.

"But this really isn't about you," she continued. "It's about me. I just don't think I trust myself. I've made some big mistakes, and when I say big, I mean, HUGE." She accentuated this by reaching out her hands in a wide gesture. She turned and started pacing again.

"And I think it's only fair you know about them before you go throwing words around, like saying you 'care about me,' and—"

"Lulu, I do care about you, and anything you've done in the past is—" Dante knew he had taken a chance in interrupting her, but he didn't want her to talk him out of her life.

"Dante, please…" she stopped pacing and looked at him, pleading. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears and she bit her bottom lip to keep them from falling. "Please don't interrupt me." She turned again to resume her pacing, more slowly than she had before.

After a few steps, she took a deep breath and blurted out, like ripping off a band aid when you're five and you know it's going to hurt, "I had an abortion. When I was 16. I was sleeping with someone who obviously was in love with someone else, and I knew I couldn't be a mother at that age." As she turned to face back towards him, Dante could see the silent tears were falling now. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and tell her everything was all right, but she wasn't looking at him and she didn't stop pacing, so he knew it wasn't his turn yet.

"Then, there was Logan, who was basically stalking me a couple of years ago. He was crazy. He came after me one night, and I…" she stopped now, facing a way from him. She raised her head to the ceiling and let out a deep breath and shakily let out the words, "I killed him." She paused there, looked away from the ceiling to the floor, nervously tapping her foot, holding in her sobs in by placing her hand over her mouth. After a few moments to pull herself together, she continued. "Johnny tried to help me. Tried to take care of things for me. But it was too much for me and I spent some time in Shadybrook after the murder."

She turned back to him now, eyes red with pain, daring him to answer to all that. "You know," she stated firmly, "the place for crazy people." She was looking him full in the eyes. "So, yeah," she said, nodding her head, still sucking in her bottom lip, "you really think you can care about me, now? Now that you know the real Lulu Spencer? Now that you can see what a fucking mess my life has been? I haven't even gone into how fucked up my family is!" With this she threw her hands in the air and let out a cry. Her hands came down to cover her face and she began openly weeping.

Dante was speechless, but not because he didn't care for her anymore. He just, wasn't sure how to comfort her yet, how to convince her that he wasn't scared off by all this. He decided to begin by getting closer to her.

He walked around the coffee table, took the crying woman in his arms, and just held her close to him. Her hands, that had been covering her face, after a few moments, dropped to her sides and she laid her head on his shoulder. He began shushing her, and running his hand down her hair, much like she was a child.

Then, when it all began to sink in, the anger hit him. His fist tightened around her blond hair, which had lost much of its curl while she was out on her walk. He wasn't angry at her. He was angry with what the world had thrown at her. He loosened his grip and wrapped that arm around her, grasping her shoulder, squeezed her tighter. How could anyone thing this woman was weak and needed protecting? After what she had been through, he wasn't sure he would be able to trust in love either. But he was willing to do whatever it took, wait for however long she needed, for that wall around her heart to break down and let him in.

Lulu had stopped sobbing and spoke, muffled, into his chest. "Aren't you going to stay something?"

He gave her another tight squeeze and chuckled, "Oh, so you _are_ going to let me talk now?"

Lulu choked a small laugh in response and pulled away to look at him. He took her by her shoulders and bent so he was looking her straight in the eye. "Lulu Spencer, if you think that story scares me, you don't know who you are talking to, here."

He pulled her in for another hug and nuzzled his nose and mouth into her hair, which still smelled of fresh, crisp air and a hint of her hair product. As he breathed it in, he spoke. "I'm just sorry you've gone through all that. And I'm sorry that you were afraid that it would change the way I felt about you. Don't you know just how crazy I am about you? Lulu Spencer," he pulled her away again, so she could see his face as he told her this. "I think you are incredible. I knew you were strong. Tonight, you've just told me why. Whatever you've had to go through to become who you are doesn't matter, because it's who you are, right now, in this moment, that I am totally falling in love with."

He studied her face, measuring how she would react to this. She sniffled a little from her previous bawl fest and was frustrated with herself when she felt more tears coming. She bit her lips again, trying to push them away, but Dante wasn't fooled. He brought his hand up, that had been on her elbow and wiped the tear falling down her cheek with his thumb.

"Hey, no more of that tonight," he told her, bringing his other hand up to cup her face. Slowly moving his face towards her, looking her deep in the eyes, he hoped she could see how much he had meant every word he said. At the moment he saw her yes close, he closed his own, as he kissed her lips, softly, without any hint of heated passion, but full of patience and adoration. He let his lips linger on hers for a moment, hoping everything he couldn't express in words was in that kiss, before he pulled away to see if she was all right.

As he looked at her, her eyes were still closed, her lips were red from all the biting she had done to them. Her mascara was clumped on her eyelashes and her hair was a disaster. He thought she had never been more beautiful. _You moron, _he thought,_ you were so busy being her non-date boy friend tonight, you forgot to tell her how gorgeous she is._

"Lulu," he said softly, breaking the silence, his hands still resting on her cheeks.

"Mmm?" She opened her eyes to meet his gaze.

"I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner, but I—" She muffled a laugh.

"Are you kidding? I'm a mess! How can you stand there telling me how beautiful I am when I've been crying all over you for the past hour?" She put her hands up to her hair in an effort to smooth it down, anything to put herself right.

"Don't," he told her, reaching up for her hand to stop her from worrying about it. "I love this look. I love seeing the real Lulu." He grinned at her and the mood shifted.

She laughed silently at the man standing in front of her. _Could this be for real? _she thought. _He really accepts me for, my past, my failures, _and _thinks I look good when I'm a hot mess?_

"How about this…" Dante began as he widened his legs in a "get ready" stance and started rubbing his hands together. "You go wash up and come back out here. I'll pick a movie and we'll sit up for a while and finish that wine. What do ya' think?"

She laughed again. "It's already eleven o'clock. You really want to start a movie now?"

He shrugged, "Heh, not really, but.." his grin fading a little bit to a questioning smirk. "I guess, I really don't want to go home yet." He paused to see how she would respond to this, but when her smile didn't fade he added, "I'm not trying to put the moves on you, I, uh, just want to be near you for a while longer. If that's okay, of course."

She crossed her arms and studied him, looking for a hint him having a cheap, man-trick up his sleeve. Since she was pretty sure he wasn't going to be letting her out of this relationship any time soon, she saw there was no need to rush things with him. _Did I just think "relationship" in regards to Dante? Girl, you must be trippin'. But, he did say he was falling in love with me, and I really don't want to go to sleep yet, after all my crying tonight, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to go to sleep right away anyway. What the hell? _

"What the hell. Sure. The movie collection is over there on the bookshelf." She started moving towards the bathroom to wash her face and pull her hair back. Before leaving the room, she called back "And no scary movies. I know how you boys think. The girls will 'get scared' and 'want to cuddle.' I'm know your kind, Officer. Don't think you can fool me." And she left the room.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he called after her. _Okay, Dante. Nothing sad, we've had enough of that tonight. Nothing sappy, you know you don't want to sit through that. Nothing scary or _scary Lulu_ will come back and kick your ass. _"Well, I guess that leaves comedy." _Don't make it a raunchy one, man. You _know _that's just in bad taste. _

_Hmm…they own Family Guy. Well, raunchy maybe, but just the type of lighthearted we need. And hey, _she_ owns it._

When Lulu returned from the back hallway, Dante had already put the DVD in the machine and turned everything on, and was just about to get settled onto the couch.

"What are we watchin'?" Lulu wondered aloud as she wandered back in the room with her comforter around her shoulders.

Dante looked up and smiled at her. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her face was washed clean of any trace of the tears from earlier. He could see she had changed into pajama pants and assumed there was some kind of pajama top underneath the huge comforter she was lugging with her. He soon found out when she moved around the couch and flung the comforter in front of her, revealing a light blue camisole.

"Damn woman, are you trying to kill me? Or just trying to make me go back on my word not to start any funny business?" he blurted out.

She smiled and laughed, setting herself down on the couch, pulling her legs up underneath her and pulling the comforter on top of her bottom half. "Oh, stop whining and get over here." She pulled up the comforter on her left side for him to climb under. He unzipped his hooded jacket and pulled it off, revealing a plain white t-shirt, before grabbing the DVD remote.

"You didn't answer me, what are we watching?" She said, trying not to watch the way his muscles moved under his shirt as he moved closer to the couch.

"Uh," he sighed, falling down on the couch with her. "'Family Guy,' the movie. I hope that's all right. I figured we needed a few more laughs tonight."

"Yeah, I suppose now that we're dating, it's really nice of me to let you pick the first movie." She looked over at him through the corner of her eye.

"Oh, you'll let me pick—Wait a second. Did you just tell me we are dating now?" he asked her through his toothy grin. Lulu just smiled and laughed. "Ah, come on! You're got to tell me again. I'm not sure I really heard you right. Are we dating now?" His finger pointed back and for between the two of them.

"Well, I don't cuddle up on my couch with just any guy, in my pajamas, under my comforter, to watch 'Family Guy,' at midnight, officer" She paused with each preposition, and every time she restarted her sentence, she moved closer to Dante. He reached his arm around her and rested it on her shoulder, his thumb gently caressing her soft skin. Her head came to rest on his shoulder as she spoke his favorite nickname.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to take that as a yes, my dear lady. I think we should give you a nickname, too, since you've got this thing for calling me 'Officer.' What do you think about Cupcake? Or does it creep you out if I call you the same thing your dad calls you? Or what about—"

"Just shut up and start the movie already," Lulu complained, smacking him lightly on his other shoulder with her right hand. She was already getting sleepy and knew she wasn't going to make it very far into the movie before falling asleep, but surprisingly, that was a pleasant thought for her.

Dante pushed play on the remote and carefully leaned forward to deposit it on the coffee table, re-situating himself into a more comfortable position in the corner of the couch. After giving Lulu time to get comfortable again, this time more on his chest, he replaced his hand on her shoulder. He smiled to himself. _Man, I can't believe this. Lucky was right. Just give her time. That's easy. For this girl, I've got all the time in the world._

Lulu was already asleep when the theme song began to play, but Dante wasn't paying any attention either. Eventually, he, too fell asleep, thinking about how he never cared to spend another night without Lulu in his arms.


End file.
